SAN MARCOS, Calif. – In the second consecutive match the Sea Lions came up against a top-ten opponent. After falling flat in yesterday's match against sixth-ranked Lewis, Point Loma came ready to fight against eighth-ranked Nebraska Kearney. The team went down 0-2 before storming back to push the match to a fifth set.
 
UNK seemed in complete control after taking the first two sets, the second coming by a score of 25-11. After falling behind 11-8 in set three, the Sea Lions went on a 12-5 run that gave them a 20-16 lead. They would hold off the Lopers for a third set win, 25-20, to keep the match going. PLNU jumped out to an early lead in set four, but Nebraska Kearney was able to tie the game up and the match stayed close throughout, with the Sea Lions holding on for the 25-22 win. Set five was another back and forth match but the Lopers used a five-point run to break a 7-7 tie and held off a late rally by Point Loma to take the set and the match with a 15-12 victory.
 
Freshman, Rachael Schlect had a breakout match, nabbing a double-double, tallying 21 kills and 11 digs. Ashlynn Fresques would also record a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs, looking good after sitting out most of last season with an injury. Celeste Friesen put together a solid defensive effort with 25 digs while also contributing nine assists. Kayla Chapman put up eight blocks in the season opener, and was able to best herself notching nine blocks in today's match.
 
Team Records
PLNU (0-3), UNK (1-0)
 
Scott's Thoughts:
On his team's effort: "These three teams in this tournament are all quite good, and all very likely will be in the postseason, and I think we will be too. I think we were finally able to show the heart that we've demanded and what it takes to push a solid team to a good match. We still are not getting the result we want just yet, but that's going to come."
 
On getting back their competitive edge: "Yesterday was really hard, we lost a heartbreaker, we lost a solid, contributing starter, and it took us a little while to reengage after those two losses. We needed a little time to process, unfortunately we didn't have that time yesterday and got hammered by a great Lewis squad. We came back today and we were able to reengage."
 
On Schlect's performance: "We believe in her. She's not going to be a good player, she is a good player. We are trying to encourage her to step into that role and not use being a freshman as an excuse and today she really did take on that role."
 
On looking forward to next weekend's tournament: "We need to win. That's ultimately what sport comes down to is getting the result at the end. While the process is pretty good we need to get that win. Next weekend needs to have a great multitude of victories."
 
Scoring Summary
Set 1: UNK 25, PLNU 18
Set 2: UNK 25, PLNU 11
Set 3: PLNU 25, UNK 20
Set 4: PLNU 25, UNK 22
Set 5: UNK 15, PLNU 12

News and Notes
> Schlect's 21 kills is the most by a PLNU freshman in the past five seasons, and the most kills by any player since 2016. 
> The Sea Lions had four players with double-digit digs. 
> The team was back to blocking form, totaling 12 blocks for the match, surpassing the 11 they totaled in the season opener. 
> Chapman has 17 total blocks through three games, no Sea Lion reached 17 blocks until game six of last season. 
 
Up Next
Point Loma is back in action next weekend when they head to the Bay area to participate in the D2 West Region Showcase hosted by Dominican (CA). Their first game will be against Concordia-Portland on August 31 at 8:30 a.m.